a cool picture

My brother is a bit of a photographer himself. He’s actually pretty good. I don’t know how or when exactly he picked up the bug but I remember several years ago (about ’98 or so I guess) he wanted to show me some of his pictures and get tips on how to develop film and prints.

I was amazed at how much his images looked like mine. I mean, I was really surprised at how his pics were composed very much like mine. The subject often being slapped right in the center of the image. Full negative composition and printing. Slowed shutters to give movement.

Although we weren’t always close in our youth (despite being only two years apart and the oldest sons), I thought it was interesting how we had this thing in common. This “thing” being that we both like photography as a medium for art and produce similar images.

Is it genetics? Growing up in the same household? Coincidence?

I don’t know… but below is a really cool picture he took back in 2003 that he just sent me a couple of days ago. We had gone up to my property in central Texas.

I’m not sure what happened here with this pic. I’m quite certain it isn’t infrared film. I think he just overexposed and developed a hair too long.

That’s my Ridgeback mix, Ginger on the right who died about three years ago and my brother’s little Beagle, Katy on the left. I miss that dog of mine. I miss my property. I need to go up their soon. It’s been years.

As to the similarities with your brother? Well, as Buddhist (lazy or otherwise), I would have to attribute this to karma. No matter how distant or dissimilar we are to our siblings, we still have some major karma between us to have been born to the same parents. Who knows what causes we created in past lifetimes so that we ended up sharing the same womb. Well, at least that’s the only way I can make sense of it, ya know?

from The Age of Reason

I believe in one God and no more; and I hope for happiness beyond this life. I believe the equality of man, and I believe that religious duties consist in doing justice, loving mercy, and endeavouring to make our fellow-creatures happy. ~ Thomas Paine, 1794